The Somme Battlefields
About this tour
The Somme has always been an agricultural area with rolling fields exposed to harsh winds and cold conditions which can prove to be very uncomfortable. Students will be able to understand the realities the various forces endured in 1916.
The memorials, cemeteries, museums and churches in this region are numerous and considerable effort has gone into preserving the memory and the sacrifices that were made by soldiers and civilians. Students will be encouraged to seek references for men from their communities or members of their families, and it may be possible to visit the sites (subject to timings and locations).
They learn to understand and appreciate how most of the soldiers who died, were a little older than they are now, and the difficulties encountered. Why not combine a Battlefield tour with visits to Christmas markets over the Christmas season.
Christmas markets can include Ypres, Brugge, Brussels, Arras, Amiens, Lille Gate in the Ypres / Somme areas. We can offer tours further afield in Germany, Poland or The Netherlands.
Sample Itinerary
Day 1
Visit the ‘In Flanders Fields’ Museum, Passchendaele Museum or Hooge Crater Museum. Afternoon guided visit which can include Essex Farm, Langemark German Cemetery and Tyne Cot. Attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. Overnight in Ypres or drive to The Somme.
Accommodation
We work closely with the owners of four School hotels in Ypres and a purpose-built school hotel in Albert (The Somme) which has three separate floors, all designed to accommodate youth groups. Have a look at www.thepoppies.be and www.poppiesalbert.com to check out floorplans and availability. We can also offer 3* hotel accommodation in the centre of Ypres or in Arras to suit groups with a larger budget. The Somme is only two hours from Calais so your first day will depend very much on your departure point and the time it takes you to get to Dover/Folkestone. Alternatively, we can arrange crossings with P&O Ferries from Hull to Zeebrugge with overnight cabins.
Battlefield and History Tours recommends the following
Wellington Quarry, or la Carrière Wellington in Arras, is an underground museum carefully created in a section of tunnels dug by the British Army during the 1914-1918 war. The museum commemorates the thousands of men from the British Army and Dominion Forces who lived under the city during the Great War, particularly the tunnelers of the New Zealand Division.
Musee Somme 1916, located in Albert, is situated in the center of the Somme Battlefields below the basilica of Notre Dame de Brebières. The museum showcases soldiers' lives in the trenches during the offensive of 1 July 1916. It is housed in an underground passage 250 meters long, featuring alcoves, display cases, sound effects, images, and lights to bring the experience to life.
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing is a 45-meter-high structure that stands out from the surrounding countryside on what was the old German frontline. The memorial is dedicated to the 73,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who lost their lives in the Somme and have no known grave.
Lochnagar Crater is an impressive crater approximately 90 meters in diameter and 60 meters deep, created by a mine detonated on 1st July 1916. It was laid by the British Army's 179th Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers underneath a German strongpoint called "Schwaben Höhe." The crater is situated east of the village of La Boisselle.
Delville Wood, sometimes known as Devil's Wood, saw particularly ferocious fighting. Most of the wood was eventually taken by South African soldiers on 15th July 1916. These soldiers held on grimly during numerous German counterattacks for six days until they were relieved. There is now a museum in Delville Wood, which is hexagonal in structure.
Vimy Ridge centres on the Canadian Corps' superbly planned capture of Vimy Ridge in April 1917, a turning point for the Allies in World War I. Guided tours of the tunnels are available between 1st May and 30th November and are free, but availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. There are also trenches above ground and a Visitor Education Centre that is very interesting.
Historial de la Grande Guerre is in the medieval chateau of Peronne and consists of four large rooms dealing with the multi-cultural aspect of the war. The museum presents the perspectives of the European nations at war (France, Germany, and Great Britain) through the memories of war experienced from the battlefront to behind the lines.
Newfoundland Park is a Canadian National Historic Site that commemorates the Newfoundland Regiment near Beaumont-Hamel. The Newfoundland Battalion suffered significant casualties during the most dramatic days of the 1916 campaign. The park retains the two opposing trench systems as they were in 1916 and has a very interesting Visitor Centre.
Other Visits and Excursions
Christmas markets and Ice Rinks will once again be open in the traditional Market Squares, open from last week in November to first week in January 2019. Typical Christmas Food & Treats, gifts and market products will be available.
Why not combine a Battlefield tour with visits to Christmas markets over the Christmas season. Christmas markets can include Ypres, Brugge, Brussels, Arras, Amiens, Lille in the Ypres / Somme areas. We can offer tours further afield in Germany, Poland or The Netherlands.
Other variations on numbers and duration available plus day trips available on Request.
Experience information
Each group will have its own special interests and curricular needs. That is why every visit can be completely tailored to you. You will find some suggestions below, but you can always call us to discuss more options.
Other variations on numbers and duration available, plus day trips available on request.
